Opposition parties railroad pro-labor bill through parliamentary agenda coordination committee

A contentious pro-labor bill passed through a parliamentary agenda coordination committee Friday as opposition parties moved step-by-step forward with the bill that calls for restricting damages suits aimed at suppressing industrial action and guaranteeing the bargaining rights of indirectly hired workers.

The main opposition Democratic Party and the minor opposition Justice Party passed the revision to the Trade Union And Labor Relations Adjustment Act through the agenda coordination committee under the labor and environment committee amid protest from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

The coordination committee was held at the request of the PPP after the opposition parties railroaded the bill through a bill review session earlier this week.

The revision is better known as the “yellow envelope bill” after a person donated 47,000 won (US$36) in cash in a yellow envelope to unionized SsangYong Motor Co. workers following a 2013 court ruling that ordered them to pay 4.7 billion won for causing losses in a strike.

The ruling party has opposed the bill, saying it gives excessive immunity to unionized workers and could potentially hurt smaller businesses.

The bill is expected to pass through the parliamentary labor committee, as the two opposition parties plan to approve it in a plenary National Assembly session later this month.